Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records – Credit or identification card systems
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-23
2002-06-11
Pitts, Harold I. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
Credit or identification card systems
C235S375000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06402030
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates generally to automated vehicle wash systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and methodology for processing car wash vouchers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the vehicle care industry, car wash tunnels provide a variety of automated car wash services at both stand alone car wash sites and at gas stations. A customer may select from basic wash services, waxing options, under carriage wash options, and the like, and the services are provided through automated brushes, sprayers, pumps, conveyors, and dryers in the car wash tunnel. The various washing, waxing, and drying apparatus in the tunnel are typically actuated by a control system providing control signals to implement the desired wash services.
At many full service car washes, one or more attendants greet the customer at the tunnel entrance. The customer informs an attendant of the wash services desired, who then obtains payment from the customer, and inputs a list of wash services into the control system. The attendant may drive the vehicle to the entrance of the tunnel where a conveyor moves the vehicle through the tunnel. Optional vacuuming services may be provided by an attendant prior to the vehicle entering the tunnel. As the customer vehicle travels through the car wash tunnel, the control system actuates the necessary washing devices at appropriate times in accordance with the list of services entered by the attendant. Windows may be provided in the side of the wash tunnel whereby the customer may view the washing process. An attendant typically enters the vehicle at the exit end of the tunnel conveyor, and drives a short distance out of the tunnel whereupon final drying and/or other detailing services may be performed manually. The waiting customer thereafter drives away in a cleaned vehicle.
Many gas stations provide car washes along with fuel sales, food and beverage sales, and other services. A car wash tunnel is provided on the premises, which is typically a low cost car wash offering few or no optional wash services. At many such multi-service sites, a customer may purchase a car wash in association with fuel or other purchases, which are paid for in a single commercial transaction. Typically, the customer receives a receipt from a station attendant which includes a numeric or alphanumeric code. A keypad or other character entry device is positioned near the car wash tunnel entrance, with which the customer enters the code to obtain entrance to the car wash. The provision of the code allows the customer to purchase a car wash which may be used contemporaneously with the purchase, or at a later time.
In some situations, one or more optional wash services may be available at such a car wash. A customer desiring such services may pay an upgraded car wash fee when making the initial purchase. The code provided to the user may contain information used by the automated car wash control system to provide these optional services upon entry of the code at the tunnel entrance. Thus, the control system for the car wash tunnel may provide different control signals to the actuating devices therein depending on the code provided by a customer. The code provides customers with a variety of car wash service choices without requiring an attendant at the tunnel entrance to program a list of services into a control system. Consequently, many gas stations include unattended car wash tunnels on the premises, offering a certain number of car wash choices at a minimal cost to the customer.
In today's multi-service gas stations, sophisticated point-of-sale (POS) systems include one or more cash registers, credit card readers, character displays, fuel pump control interfaces, and the like. Such systems allow station attendants to interact with the various systems (e.g., fuel pumps) associated with the station, and to efficiently accept payment for fuel and other goods sold in the station. Conventional car wash entrance codes are provided to the customer on a printed receipt, such as a cash register receipt. A POS system may provide the car wash code according to a pre-defined protocol to include the desired optional car wash services purchased by a customer, such that entry of the code into the car wash control system keypad interface results in the correct tunnel operation.
Although such car wash code numbers reduce or eliminate the attendant interaction with the system, the use of a pre-defined coding protocol allows unscrupulous persons to construct tunnel access codes with which car washes may be obtained without payment. In addition to constructing car wash codes from a protocol, unpaid for washes may be possible through reuse of a code that was legitimately issued by a POS system. Moreover, conventional systems do not provide for tracking of car wash code utilization, attempted reuse of codes, and/or the attempted usage of invalid codes in a multi-site carwash chain or system. It is therefore desirable to provide a system which prevents the provision of automated car wash services where such services have not been properly paid for.
In many gas station chains, car wash services may be provided at many different sites in a chain or network. Customers purchasing a car wash at one site in a chain may wish to obtain the car wash at a later date. However, it may be desirable to sell car washes where the wash services are available only for a certain time period. In addition, conventional automated car wash systems do not allow a customer to purchase a car wash at one site in the chain and to obtain the car wash services at another site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a system and methodology by which the above mentioned problems and shortcomings are minimized or overcome. The invention provides a system and methodology for processing a car wash voucher code in a multi-site car wash system. The system obtains the voucher code from a voucher and determines whether the voucher code is expired or has been previously used. For example, a voucher code may be expired a certain time period (e.g., 30 days) after sale. The voucher may be created by a POS which need not be electrically connected with the site management system. The system maintains a network management database accessible by site management servers located at individual sites in the chain, which includes information related to usage and validity of voucher codes. Individual site management servers or systems may access the database information periodically or upon presentation of a voucher code at a car wash site, in order to determine whether the code is valid. Based on the validity determination, car wash services are selectively provided according to desired wash service information obtained from the voucher code, as well as additional or upgraded services desired by a car wash customer at the time the voucher is presented.
The site management system determines the validity of a voucher code by obtaining voucher code related information from a network or chain management system which maintains a database of voucher code usage information, thus allowing a determination at any site in the network or chain of whether the voucher has been previously used. Services at a site may thus be selectively provided or denied based on previous usage information, to prevent unauthorized or unpaid for washes. The voucher code may also include car wash service information which the system provides to a car wash tunnel control system, as well as sale date information. The site management system may determine the latency of the voucher code based on the sale date information in the voucher code in order to determine whether the voucher code has expired. Car wash services may accordingly be denied where a code has expired. The system further provides the capability of obtaining voucher code status and usage reports from any site in the chain. In addition, the invention includes methodologies for processing voucher codes in a car wash system.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided
James, Jr. Rondall P.
Summers Steven E.
DRB Systems, Incorporated
Eschweiler & Associates LLC
Pitts Harold I.
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